I’ll be co-hosting a photo workshop at the Victory Theatre in Holyoke, MA on June 27. The last two workshops we held at the theater sold out pretty quickly so if you’re interested get your tickets soon. A portion of the proceeds raised will be donated to the theater to help the restoration effort. We’ve raised over $1,600 so far this year!

i walk by here every day on my way back from the gym for the past 2 months here and there i have seen workers going in and there is a dumpster outside. the smell of asbestos when you walk by is unreal even in the winter but i really do hope they are doing good things inside. im afraid its to far gone

Several months ago I heard that this project was starting to unravel, unfortunately; but I don’t recall what the source of that news was. The people in charge are stalwart types and I hope that they can get back on track.

This project seems unfortunately to be stalled. In an article on the New England Public Radio website dated April 12,2013,the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MIFA)artistic director Donald Sanders says he thinks MIFA could secure funding, complete renovations, and open the theatre in three years.

The August 27, 1919, issue of The American Architect published an early announcement about the plans for the Victory Theatre, though it placed the site at Suffolk and Chestnut Streets rather than Suffolk and Walnut:

“HOLYOKE, MASS.—An up-to-date theater, seating 2420 people, which can stage vaudeville, moving pictures, a stock company or legitimate plays, is to be erected by the Victory Theater Co., of which Nathan Goldstein of Springfield, Mass., is president. This company has purchased the lot at the corner of Suffolk and Chestnut Sts. and will erect a $350,000 playhouse from the plans of Mowll & Rand, Unity Bldg., Boston. Mass. The building will also include a number of stores.”

Later notices in other publications reduced the cost of the project to $250,000, but Mowll & Rand were still listed as the architects.

The current restoration of the Victory Theatre is designed by the Providence, Rhode Island, firm DBVW Architects (Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels.) Their web site currently features a rendering of how the completed project will look, plus four current photos of the theater.

According to the above article, the victory has raised $19,500,000 of the $27,000 needed to complete the renovation, and they sre launching a fundraising campaign to raise the remaining amount. A much earlier fundraising cappain’s proceeds were partially used some time ago to repaier the roof, remove asbestos, board up the building and complete the renovation plans.

Latest news – December 2009 the foundation officially purchased the Victory for $7,500.00 (They had previously been leasing it for $1.00/year), and currently they only have to raise $8,000,000 of the $27,000,000 needed to complete the renovation!

And the photo tour was really nice to see…almost made it seem like you were actually there walking around. The round lobby is quite unusual as I personally don’t know of another theatre with this unique lobby design though I’m sure there may be others. I must now read the history and learn how and why this theatre was neglected.